Tories brace for Euro election wipeout after day of calamity for Theresa May ...

Tory MPs are counting down the hours until Theresa May quits as she 'barricades' herself in Downing Street following Leadsom's resignation, on the eve of the European elections that will see the party wiped out.

Mrs May was expected to reveal details of her departure tomorrow after ministers savaged her concessions to Labour over Brexit - but former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has insisted: 'The sofa is up against the door, she's not leaving.'

Andrea Leadsom piled pressure on the Prime Minister by announcing her own resignation from the Cabinet last night. In a parting blast, the Commons Leader said she could not stomach the latest version of Mrs May's Brexit deal, with its offer of a second referendum.

Other ministers are said to be ready to go too if the Prime Minister tries to cling to power after today's European elections. The Tories are set to be decimated by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.

It is understood that Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt and David Mundell will use ministerial meetings with Mrs May today to warn that they also consider the Withdrawal Agreement Bill unacceptable in its current form.

Tory backbenchers were in uproar over Mrs May's decision to seek Labour support in the hope of getting her deal through the House of Commons at the fourth attempt. At one stage yesterday, some aides believed she was on the verge of quitting on the spot – and even started preparations for a resignation statement.

But chief whip Julian Smith later told the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs that Mrs May intended to campaign in today's elections and would instead meet the group's chairman Sir Graham Brady tomorrow to discuss its concerns. Mrs May refused to see rebel ministers yesterday afternoon, leading to accusations that she was bunkered down in No 10. 

However sources said meetings with senior ministers were postponed because Mrs May was having her regular audience with the Queen, who she was expected to brief on her intentions. Whitehall insiders said the legislation that the Prime Minister announced on Tuesday might never now see the light of day.

She is said to have agreed to meet Sir Graham tomorrow to discuss arrangements for the election of a new Conservative Party leader.

An ally said: 'The chances of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill coming forward now are very slender – there is too much opposition in Cabinet. That was her last move – she's made her last move. I think she accepts that.'

Another said: 'We completely understand what has happened over the course of the last 24 hours. She wants to be able to say that in her own words in short order. You will see that clearly when the elections are done.'

In other developments:

Mrs May made a final bid to sell her deal to the Commons, telling a half full chamber that MPs would eventually have to accept compromise if they were to deliver on their 'duty' to take Britain out of the EU;The 1922 Committee reportedly held a secret ballot on changing rules to allow a fresh confidence vote in the leader;Michael Gove said Mrs May would have to 'reflect' on the backlash against her Brexit plans before deciding whether to continue with them;The number of Tory MPs saying they would vote against Mrs May's 'new deal' doubled to 76 in the 24 hours after she announced the new package;Jeremy Corbyn ruled out backing the compromise plan, saying: 'No Labour MP can vote for a deal on the promise of a Prime Minister who only has days left in her job';Conservative MPs sent in letters of no confidence in Mrs May to Sir Graham, with former minister Tim Loughton even posting a picture of his on social media.Mr Duncan Smith warned that Donald Trump could cancel his planned state visit to the UK at the start of next month because of the chaos at the top of government;The Conservative Home website, seen as the 'Bible' of the party's grassroots, urged supporters not to vote Tory in today's elections unless Mrs May resigned immediately;Former chancellor Kenneth Clarke rounded on Eurosceptic MPs, saying they had treated Mrs May abominably and 'campaigned harder against her leadership than against the EU'.

The Tory revolt came after ministers were briefed in detail on the proposed concessions to Labour, which also include the option of a temporary customs union. Several were aghast at provisions in the legislation guaranteeing an act of parliament to deliver a second referendum if MPs voted for one.

Sources told the Mail that Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt joined Mrs Leadsom, Mr Javid, Mr Hunt and Mr Mundell in warning No 10 they could not support the legislation in its current form.

One Cabinet minister said: 'A lot of ministers are going to struggle to vote for this. I would certainly struggle with it as it is. It is opening the door to a second referendum - why would we do it?

'We cannot put this to a vote - it would expose exactly how split the party is and make life even harder for her successor.

'I don't think anyone in Cabinet is ready to call for her to go. People still want her to make her own mind up and leave on her own terms. But there is a lot of pressure to pull the Bill – and that amounts to calling for her to resign.'

Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt will today urge Mrs May to pull the planned vote on the legislation, which No 10 said was still pencilled in for the first week of June.

Sources close to Mr Javid said the Home Secretary would demand that the Prime Minister strip out the provisions for a second referendum altogether before going ahead with the legislation.

Scottish Secretary Mr Mundell is also said to be unwilling to accept anything that opens the door to a second vote, arguing it would fuel demands for Scottish independence.

Mrs May also faced a backbench revolt yesterday, with MPs demanding that the 1922 Committee tear up its own rules to allow an immediate vote of confidence in the PM.

Sir Graham came under fire at a meeting of the committee after warning that a rule change would set a dangerous precedent. One MP accused him of 'going native'. Another branded him a 'jellyfish'.

With polls suggesting the Conservatives could get just 7 per cent of the vote today, calls for Mrs May to go extended beyond the Tory Eurosceptic wing.

Leading moderate Tom Tugendhat said Mrs May had 'to go – and without delay'.

'She must announce her resignation after the European elections. And the Conservative Party must fast track the leadership process to replace her,' he added.   

Amidst another day of government chaos a top Tory MEP also predicted the party's candidates will be wiped out in today's Euro elections.

In private messages, Daniel Hannan said the Conservatives will be left with no MEPs as voters flock to Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.

He also warned that the Tories faced 'the end of our party' and the election of a Corbyn government. His bleak assessment came as a poll showed the Tories could win just seven per cent of the vote. Mr Hannan, who represents the South East of England, made the comments on a WhatsApp group for Tory activists.

'I am expecting us to end up with zero MEPs,' he wrote. 'Sadly it will give Corbyn unstoppable momentum and this, paradoxically, derail Brexit. Funny old world.' In separate messages, he suggested the Tories could slip below 10 per cent when votes are counted.

'If our members stay away, or vote for another party, we may well slip below 10 per cent – a level from which no party bounces back.

'We're looking, not just at a Corbyn government, but at the end of our party as a viable movement.'

The YouGov poll for the Times showed both main parties being hammered when the results are published on Sunday. It put the Brexit Party on 37 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 19 per cent and Labour on 13 per cent, just one point ahead of the Greens. The Tories were in fifth on seven points, just four ahead of Ukip.

In a sign of ebbing support among activists, the ConHome website urged Tory supporters to abstain rather than vote for the party unless Theresa May quits ahead of polling today.

A former civil service boss was accused of ditching Whitehall impartiality by announcing he would be voting for the Lib Dems today.

Lord (Gus) O'Donnell said it was his 'civic duty' to vote for the most consistently Remain party.

The former cabinet secretary rote in the Times that the clearest choice was 'voting Liberal Democrat in England, so that's what I will do'. He said: 'I would urge all those who support remain to do the same. It feels very strange to be specifying a preference for a particular party.

'However, as a crossbencher in the Lords, and faced with a decision that will affect generations to come, I believe it is my civic duty to vote and there is now no reason not to be clear about how I use this precious power that democracies bestow on their citizens.'

Tory MP Neil O'Brien said: 'The trend of former senior civil servants getting involved in politics and particularly declaring their allegiance is going to be very bad for the civil service longer term.'

Yesterday another Conservative peer was suspended from the party whip for pledging to vote Liberal Democrat in the European elections.

Lord Cooper, the founder of pollster Populus who was David Cameron's director of strategy in Downing Street, received the punishment two days after it was imposed on former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine.

He tweeted: 'I have come to the same conclusion as Michael Heseltine, for exactly the same reasons – and will be voting Lib Dem in Thursday's European parliament elections.'

Lord Cooper was subsequently told by his chief whip that 'endorsing the candidates of another party is not compatible with taking the Conservative whip'.

Labour peer Lord Cashman said he had quit his party to vote Lib Dem.

The former EastEnders actor said: 'I can't trust Jeremy Corbyn or the people around him on the defining issue in postwar Britain, so on Thursday I will not be voting for the Labour party. As Matthew Parris said, I am not a Liberal Democrat, but I support their absolute consistency. Voting Lib Dem in the EU elections.'

Later he wrote: 'I think I've just resigned from the Labour party by declaring that I will support the Liberal Democrats in the European elections.'  

Mrs Leadsom was among members of the so-called 'Pizza Club' of Eurosceptic ministers who had met earlier to consider their next move as the Tory infighting escalated. 

In her letter to the Prime Minister she said a second referendum would be 'dangerously divisive for the country' and she could not support the concession.

'I stayed in Cabinet to shape and fight for Brexit,' she said.

'There have been some uncomfortable compromises along the way, but you have had my determined support and loyalty in your efforts to deliver Brexit as our shared goal.

'I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result.' 

She also appeared to hit out at Remain-supporting ministers, saying: 'The tolerance to those in Cabinet who have advocated policies contrary to the Government's position has led to a complete breakdown of collective responsibility.'

The South Northamptonshire MP is now expected to be among those vying to replace Mrs May as Tory leader.

Explaining the timing of her decision to resign on the eve of polling day in the European elections, Mrs Leadsom said: 'I considered carefully the timing of this decision, but I cannot fulfil my duty as Leader of the House tomorrow, to announce a Bill with new elements that I fundamentally oppose.

'I fully respect the integrity, resolution and determination that you have shown during your time as Prime Minister.

'No one has wanted you to succeed more than I have, but I do now urge you to make the right decisions in the interests of the country, this Government and our party.'

A Downing Street spokesman said Mrs Leadsom had 'served with distinction and great ability as a member of the government, and the Prime Minister is grateful for all of her work'. 

'We are disappointed that she has chosen to resign, and the Prime Minister remains focused on delivering the Brexit people voted for.'

Fellow Conservative Party MPs have described Andrea Leadsom's decision to leave the Government due to its Brexit approach as 'absolutely the right thing to do', while a Labour MP wished her well.

Scottish Tory Ross Thomson tweeted: 'Sad to see @andrealeadsom leave Government but absolutely the right thing to do.

'This new Agreement breaks the last promise that was possible to break on a second EU referendum.'

Another Conservative MP, Chris Heaton-Harris, tweeted: 'A great shame, but completely understandable.

'Tomorrow she would have had to announce a Bill containing elements (2nd referendum and Customs Union) that she simply could not support in good faith.'

Meanwhile Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson criticised Mrs Leadsom's decision to step down on the eve of the European elections, calling it a 'slap in the face' for her Tory colleagues.

He tweeted: 'I accept that she may want to go but to do it the night before an election looks odd.

'It's also a slap in the face to Tory party members who are working hard to get their candidates elected tomorrow.'

Labour MP Jess Phillips said she liked Mrs Leadsom and commended her work in helping to introduce proxy voting for MPs.

'I liked Leadsom she had our back in the complaints process and she was vital in the proxy voting,' tweeted Ms Phillips.

'I think she's wrong about second referendum threatening the union and being divisive but I wish her well.'

In a statement posted to his party's website, Labour chairman Ian Lavery said the resignation of Mrs Leadsom shows 'the Prime Minister's authority is shot and her time is up'.

'While the Tories are ripping themselves apart, our country is in crisis. The Government has made a catastrophic mess of the Brexit negotiations, our steel industry is under threat and universal credit is pushing people into poverty.

'For the sake of the country, Theresa May needs to go, and we need an immediate general election.'

Conservative MP Craig Tracey appeared to mock the situation as Theresa May lost a key member of her Cabinet.

'Just heard Larry the Downing Street Cat is considering his position,' he tweeted.

A Cabinet source had earlier said there was a growing consensus that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - known as WAB - should not be brought to the Commons. 'The mood music in Cabinet is heading towards stopping it coming back,' they told MailOnline.

Mr Javid has demanded a meeting with the PM to tell her the offer for MPs to get a vote on a second referendum must be dropped. 

He is understood to be convinced that Mrs May went much further than was agreed by Cabinet when she made last night's desperate speech designed to win support from Labour MPs. 

Mr Hunt and Mr Mundell have also asked to see the premier - although she has yet to agree to meetings. The Scottish Secretary is furious that her referendum promise is a gift to the SNP, which is pushing for another independence ballot north of the border. 

More junior ministers are also making clear they will not support the legislation if it does come to Parliament.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith joked that Mrs May had barricaded herself into No10. 'The sofa is up against the door, she's not leaving,' he told reporters. 

But Mrs May left Downing Street to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace - for their usual weekly meeting.

The Tory 1922 committee met this evening to consider changing party rules to allow an immediate confidence vote in her leadership. 

Government chief whip Julian Smith joined the meeting deep inside Parliament for a few minutes - and emerged looking grim-faced.

But it later transpired that the committee's executive, despite heavy pressure from Brexiteers, did not change its rules. 

One Tory MP described the outcome of the 1922 Committee meeting as 'the can kicked down until Friday'.

Another, Michael Fabricant, tweeted that there was 'paralysis', adding: 'I wonder if there should be a vote of No Confidence in the 1922 Executive? Colleagues are growing impatient.'

After the meeting Sir Graham told reporters: 'I will be meeting with the Prime Minister on Friday following her campaigning in the European elections tomorrow and following that meeting I will be consulting with the 1922 executive.'

He said the executive discussed 'all sorts of things' in the meeting. 

The premier put on a show of defiance during a marathon appearance in the Commons this afternoon, insisting the text of her Brexit Bill would be published on Friday.

In a nod to the huge pressure she is under, Mrs May acknowledged that 'in time another PM will stand at this despatch box'.

'But while I am here I have a duty to be clear with the House about the facts. If we are going to deliver Brexit in this Parliament we are going to have to pass a Withdrawal Agreement Bill,' she said.

'Our job in this House is to take decisions, not duck them.' 

However, key Brexiteers were glaringly absent from the chamber as she spoke. Ms Leadsom, Liz Truss and Liam Fox were nowhere to be seen initially, with the frontbench filled instead by loyalist Remainers. Mrs Leadsom arrived about 40 minutes into the session. 

Mrs May's position is looking increasingly untenable, with even her closest allies calling on her to pull the proposed Brexit vote in early June and resign. 

One Cabinet source said they did not believe Mrs May would survive much longer.

'There are a lot of meetings going on. People are considering their options,' the source told MailOnline. 'She might not make it another 24 hours, never mind until Monday.'

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have slumped to just seven per cent in a poll on the eve of the European elections - an astonishing 30 points behind Nigel Farage's Brexit Party. Many MPs fear the party will suffer an unprecedented wipeout tomorrow - losing all its MEPs. 

Before tonight's meeting the secretary of the 1922 committee, Nigel Evans, said: 'She has U-turned on absolutely everything. We cannot put up with this any longer'.

As pressure ratcheted up, senior Tory backbencher Tom Tugendhat joined calls for Mrs May to quit - and said he wanted Mr Gove to take her place.

'The moment has come when I'm afraid we need new leadership. It needs to be somebody who voted for Brexit, there are some excellent candidates out there,' he told Sky News. 

Another senior backbencher told MailOnline: 'She needs to go and she needs to go soon – this week or next.'  

A No10 source said Mrs May was not attending the 1922 meeting, and denied suggestions that she could make a resignation statement tonight.

Asked about gaps on the Tory benches at PMQs and statement, the source said: 'The PM is working very hard with her colleagues on something that is important to people right across the Conservative Party which is delivering Brexit in line with our manifesto.'

Asked about resignation calls he said: 'The Prime Minister is focused on the job in hand.' 

Yesterday Mrs May took the gamble of offering MPs a binding vote on a second referendum - if they backed her withdrawal agreement at the fourth attempt.

But her speech was branded a 'f***ing disaster' by one minister with more than 65 Tory MPs set to vote against her deal next month - including u-turns from more than 30 who had voted for it last time - and Labour rebels also refusing to bail her out.

Many ministers are incandescent that Mrs May went further in her speech than what had been agreed by Cabinet, by suggesting the government would implement the

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